A conventional motor vehicle has an engine compartment towards its forward end and a passenger compartment rearward of the engine compartment. A laterally extending partition, commonly referred to as a firewall, is disposed between the engine compartment and the passenger compartment. A plenum chamber extends laterally along an upper portion of the firewall. A forward end of the plenum chamber is typically welded to the top of the firewall. Opposing lateral ends of the plenum chamber are attached to hinge pillars, often referred to as cowl sides, disposed along opposing sides of the motor vehicle towards a forward end of the passenger compartment.
A typical motor vehicle has a flange, disposed towards a forward end of the plenum chamber, for supporting the vehicle windshield. Fenders attached to the cowl sides extend forward of the cowl sides. Passenger compartment doors are pivotally attached to extend rearwardly of the cowl sides. A hood is pivotally attached to the fenders and extends towards the forward end of the vehicle.
In conventional motor vehicles, a cross-car beam extends between the cowl sides. Opposing lateral ends of the cross-car beam are typically attached to the cowl sides. A conventional cross-car beam is a closed steel chamber that increases the structural integrity of the vehicle and provides resistance to any side impact sustained by the vehicle.
The cross-car beam provides support for various automobile components. Such components include a glove compartment, a radio and tape deck or CD player, various storage pockets, an ashtray, a cigarette lighter or power outlet, and a coin receptacle, for example.
A steering column support bracket extends longitudinally between the plenum chamber and the cross-car beam. The forward portion of the steering column support bracket is attached to the plenum chamber and the rearward portion of the steering column support bracket is attached to the cross-car beam.
Laterally spaced apart energy-absorbing (E.A.) brackets extend rearwardly of the cross-car beam and function to absorb energy and slow the occupants down and assist the seat belts in the event the motor vehicle sustains an impact.
A duct is disposed forwardly of the cross-car beam and provides heating and air conditioning to the passenger compartment. The duct typically is provided with a supply inlet and a plurality of laterally spaced outlets. The inlet is connected to the outlet of a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) case. The outlets are connected to registers through which treated air is discharged into interior of the vehicle. The registers are adjustable to allow passengers to control airflow from the duct.
A second duct may extend parallel to and towards the upper end of the air supply duct to supply air to the windshield and the windows of the passenger compartment door. The air may be supplied through upper and lateral ends of the demister duct to eliminate mist on the windshield and windows of the passenger compartment doors.
Conventional cross-car beams, E.A. brackets, and steering column support brackets are typically formed of steel. Steel is an expensive resource that is costly to fabricate. Moreover, it is relatively heavy. The ducts are formed from plastic which is considerably less expensive than steel and less costly to fabricate. However, plastic materials have traditionally lacked the structural integrity of steel.
Each of a number of models of the vehicles of a given manufacturer requires separate E.A. brackets to accommodate knee and glove box surfaces, for example. Each of the separate E.A. brackets requires separate tooling, separate part numbers, and separate FEA (finite element analysis) testing and design time.
The need in the industry is to produce a common cross-bar for several different vehicle links, and associate universal E.A. brackets adaptable or use on various car lines having different knee and glove box configurations.
It would be desirable to produce an E.A. bracket which can be affixed to a common cross-car beam to accommodate various lines of knee and glove box configurations.